My Review: Palo Alto (4/10)

"Try not to hang around Fred."

I'm not sure what attracted me to Gia Coppola's directorial debut, Palo Alto, but I do know that 10 minutes into it I was already regretting my decision. Gia is trying to accomplish something similar to what her aunt Sofia did with Lost in Translation and Somewhere. In Palo Alto we also are introduced to the boring lives of the rich although instead of focusing on successful actors this time the focus is on High School teenagers trying to find their purpose in life. Not that I'm not interested in these explorations, because I really enjoyed Lost in Translation, but I just didn't find any of these characters interesting. The entire story seemed pointless kind of like the lives of these characters which was probably the whole point of the movie, but it simply bored and disengaged me completely. I felt like Gia was desperately trying to tell us something through the beautiful cinematography and soulless characters which were portrayed rather authentically, but it just didn't mean anything to me. I couldn't help but feel that I had seen Emma Roberts play a similar character in the past in films which I actually enjoyed more (It's Kind of a Funny Story and The Art of Getting By came to mind). Perhaps I wasn't the intended target audience, but it's hard for me to picture who they really were. I have heard some positive comments about how authentic these characters were and how well the teenagers captured that similar atmosphere they went through in High School, but it really didn't connect with me. The film seems to suffer from a slow pacing and an uneven story considering it struggles to balance the different story lines that the main characters are dealing with. I do have to give this film credit for not falling into the familiar conventions of the teenage romantic genre, but I also felt the lack of a heavier and more dramatic storyline hurt this film because it didn't seem to go anywhere at times.

Francis Ford Coppola's granddaughter, Gia, has impressed critics with her debut film, and there are several similarities with her aunt Sofia's work (which are explored through the similar cinematography and indie soundtrack). Gia not only directed this film, but she also adapted the screenplay based on James Franco's short stories so her dedication to this film was complete. The performances were also pretty strong and as I mentioned before these characters felt authentic and believable. They fight their boredom by searching for love, getting high or drunk, and partying all the time. I didn't really have a problem with the performances, but what really hurt this film was the uneven story and the lack of a tighter narrative. Many scenes felt forced and the story didn't seem to go anywhere at times. There were a lot of things that just never led anywhere. I really enjoyed Jack Kilmer's performance as Teddy, the kind teen who has a crush on April (Emma Roberts) but is too shy to express his feelings. He also seems to hang around the wrong crowd. Nat Wolff plays Fred, the self destructive teenager who is always getting his friend Teddy into trouble. Fred also has a destructive relationship with Emily (Zoe Levin) who he simply uses when he feels like it and pushes her away when not. April is also shy and torn between what she feels for Teddy and her soccer coach (played by James Franco) whose son she babysits during her free time. Franco plays himself really, but Emma Roberts has received most praise for her role. However for me the stand out was Val Kilmer's son Jack, who really proved to have depth and charisma. The performances are earnest and authentic, but the story simply doesn't go anywhere and feels incomplete. It was hard to sympathize with these shallow and overprivileged kids as well, and I haven't even mentioned the lack of a respectable adult figure in the entire film. 

My Review: We're the Millers (5/10)

"This is not a smidge of pot! You got me moving enough weed to kill Willie Nelson, man!"

We're the Millers is a raunchy comedy with some funny moments. It's an entertaining movie, but ultimately the script felt a bit lazy. The premise and the cast promised more, but director Rawson Marshall Thurber uses jokes and gags we've seen in other comedies. I did laugh at several scenes and there were some great lines, but I can't just judge a comedy based on that because usually I will laugh at anything. You know there is a problem with a comedy when all the audience laughs more during the end credits in the blooper reals than during the entire film. There are some awkward and uncomfortable scenes as well, and I didn't like the fact that they made all the lovable families look uncool and act as dorks in this film.  Jason Sudeikis is a great actor and I would love to see him starring in more comedies. He has great comedic timing and delivers his lines with a perfect precision. Jennifer Aniston is also a very likable actress despite the fact that she really hasn't made a great film, but there is something about her that draws the audience. Will Poulter was the star of this film as he had the funniest scenes. He didn't have to say much, his facial expression alone was hilarious. This is the first comedy I've seen him in, although he did have some funny scenes in the last Narnia movie. Emma Roberts was probably the weakest link in this film, but I wouldn't blame her because her character was the least developed in the film. Ed Helms was a big disappointment for me here, his performance was way over the top, but Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) was effortlesly hilarious. I was a huge fan of Thurber's earlier film, Dodgeball (perhaps one of the few people who enjoyed that movie), but I can't give him a passing grade for this movie although I didn't have a bad time either.

David (Jason Sudeikis) is a low profile pot dealer who receives his supplies from Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms). After getting robbed during a deal, Brad forces him to go to Mexico and bring back his latest marihuana shipment in order to pay his debt. Being a small dealer David has no idea how to cross the border as he realizes the consequences his actions may have. He believes that the best way to cross the border safely will be pretending he is on a family trip. The only problem is that he is single so he gets a local stripper named Rose (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend she is his wife, a streetwise angry teen named Casey (Emma Roberts), and his kind hearted neighbor Kenny (Will Poulter) to pretend they are his kids. He plans on getting across the border without problems by driving his apparently wonderful family on their big RV.

The funniest scene in the movie happened during the final credits, but I also though there were some funny moments here and there, like when Kenny realizes that David is paying Rose and Casey to come along with him, or when Kenny gets bit by a spider. I also enjoyed some of the pop cultural references like when David thought he was going to be killed because of the plastic he was standing on claiming to know what it means because he has watched Dexter. The cameo with Luis Guzman was pretty funny as well. Those were some of the silly moments, but nothing that stood out or that I will probably remember tomorrow. The film is predictable and you know where it is heading, but it still is an enjoyable movie.

My Review: Empire State (5/10)

"It's been reported that over 9 million dollars were taken in last night's heist."

Empire State surprisingly begins with a lot of promise. The beginning of the film sets the right mood and tone with an incredible 80's vibe bringing out some nostalgic memories. It had the right look and some interesting characters and the story is based on true events of one of the largest heists in American history. I thought I was going to enjoy this criminal thriller, but about half hour into the movie everything began to go downhill. Dwayne Johnson and Emma Roberts who were on the cover of the film are only supporting characters who get very little screen time. You begin to see characters come in and out of the story without any real purpose (Nikki Reed barely has a meaningless cameo in this). The true lead actors in Empire State are Liam Hemsworth and Michael Angarano, and their characters are portrayed in such a light that we are supposed to sympathize with these guys, but that never happens. Director, Dito Montiel (whose previous work include Fighting and The Son of No One both starring Channing Tatum), never manages to engage the audience with the film and it's disappointing because he had some talented actors and a great premise to work with. Overall the ending is probably the weakest and laziest part of the film after having a somewhat interesting buildup. The script was written by Emmy Award winning writer, Adam Mazer (You Don't Know Jack), and this is probably his weakest film. Montiel hasn't had much success in his films, but somehow he always manages to work with a high profile cast; if he doesn't do something different he is going to have a short career as a director. 

The film is based on a true story about a heist that took place at Empire State armored truck company. Chris Potamitis (Liam Hemsworth) is a young kid who dreams of becoming a cop in order to help his family out. Unfortunately due to an incident that took place a few years ago with his best friend, Eddie (Michael Angarano), he is rejected by the Police Academy and is denied the test. Chris has to settle for working as a security guard at an armored truck company which doesn't pay much. To make matters worse, his partner is killed at a heist and the company doesn't pay the insurance for his family. Upset by this, Chris decides to steal a small amount of money from the company in order to help them out. He tells his friend Eddie about this and Eddie thinks it's a good idea to steal the millions of dollars that are stacked at this place with little security. Along with some other small time criminals, they plan to take it all, but they have to be careful because NYPD, James Ronsone (Dwayne Johnson) is hot on their trail. They will also have to watch out for the big mafia criminals who wouldn't appreciate a heist taking place in their area without their knowledge. Stealing the money might not be such an easy task as Eddie and Chris believe it to be. 

Emma Roberts, Jerry Ferrara, Chris Diamantopoulos, and Michael Rispoli all play very small roles in this film. This is Dwight Johnson's fifth film of 2013 but this is by far his smallest and most forgetable role. Liam Hemsworth doesn't have what it takes to be a lead and so it was very hard to care for these characters and what was going on. The premise was promising, but somehow they couldn't create a decent criminal thriller that would engage the audience. It is a shame because this story could have been told so much better and some of the actors could have been used better. Overall I enjoyed the 80's vibe and the nostalgic feeling the first 30 minutes gave me reminding me of all the films I watched as a kid during that time. The last hour is so messy that it just ruined everything. The characters are completely one dimensional and cardboard copies and the film is completely predictable.

My Review: The Art of Getting By (8/10)

¨I read a quote once when I was a kid "We live alone, We die alone. Everything else is just an illusion." it used to keep me up at night. ¨

That is the quote that the main character in this film adopts as his own, and makes him see everything he does as pointless. George (Freddie Highmore) goes through high school as a lonely kid who doesn’t even worry about doing any homework or paying attention in class. He simply draws and scribbles things on his books and pads without socializing with anyone. He seems like a depressed kid, but his life changes when he befriends Sally (Emma Roberts), one of the popular kids in his school. Sally realizes that there is more to George, he`s a kind kid and they soon become good friends. George begins to pay attention more in school and suddenly becomes involved in the social life despite remaining a strange but loveable kid. Sally introduces him to her circle, which consist of Zoe (Sasha Spielberg) and Will (Marcus Carl Franklin). Will likes George’s drawings so he gets him to design the invitation for a special party their going to throw. George still continues to have a hard time relating to his mother Vivian (Rita Wilson) and his step father, but Sally has brought a sense of purpose to his life. He even surprises his literature teacher, Ms. Herman (Alicia Silverstone), by participating in class. George also befriends an ex alumni who has become a successful mainstream artist named Dustin (Michael Angarano) who becomes some sort of mentor to George. Despite being advised by Dustin to express his feelings towards Sally, he is reluctant to do so and after an awkward conversation with her he begins to lock himself out from everyone again. Will George find it in him to express his feelings towards Sally? Will he even be able to graduate from High School?

I loved this small indie film that mixed comedy with drama and romance. It was surprising to see Freddie Highmore so grown up since I was a huge fan of his early work in August Rush, Finding Neverland, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He was one of my favorite child actors who I was looking forward to seeing in the future. He is great in this film combining a perfect mix of a depressed teenager with a kind and noble one. It is a hard thing to achieve because most of the time it`s hard to care for these kind of characters who seem to be social outcasts with no real likeability. He shares great chemistry with Emma Roberts as well. I felt that their friendship was authentic and real and loved the scenes they shared together. This was a surprising movie for me that I didn’t think I would enjoy as much as I did. The Art of Getting By is director Gavin Wiesen`s first feature film and he gives us a gorgeous movie with beautiful photography. I will be looking forward to this filmmaker`s next projects. The movie also received a lot of love last year in the Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated by the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Picture. I usually tend to be a sucker for these small independent romantic comedies, and it reminded me a lot of another movie I enjoyed as well that also starred Emma Roberts, It`s Kind of a Funny Story. If you enjoyed that movie then you will want to check this movie out as well. It`s a very emotional and uplifting story, I had no trouble with the pacing or the performances. I could watch it again without hesitation.

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My Review: Scream 4 (6/10)

¨Welcome home Sidney. You`re a survivor, aren`t you, Sidney? What good is it to be a survivor when everyone close to you is dead? You can`t save them. All you can do is watch.¨

Wes Craven is back again for yet another Scream installment 15 years after the first film of the franchise, and he has brought back with him all the stars including Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, and of course Ghostface, who have all stared in the four Scream movies. Kevin Williamson was also brought back as the writer for the screenplay so we have all the major players of the franchise back. I really enjoyed the first movie, but wasn’t a big fan of the second or third installments. I have to admit the original Scream movie was the film that helped me get over my fear of watching horror movies. There was something about how that film was written mixing comedy with horror that somehow helped me begin to appreciate the genre a little more. I usually don’t find horror movies that scary or interesting anymore, but I have to admit that the first Scream did help revive the genre, so I was really excited about seeing this forth film. Scream 4 wasn’t scary at all just like its predecessors, but it still was very entertaining and I had a fun time. The Scream films are very self aware of its genre and they make fun of the usual stereotypes we find in horror films. The scenes where the film geeks lay out all the ground rules for horror films are very funny and enlightening at the same time as we see how the rules have changed over the years as well as the horror genre. From the opening scenes with all the Stab sequels we are reminded that this franchise is not just a horror film, but a satire on scary movies as well.

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back at Woodsboro after ten years and is promoting a self-help book she has written. She seems to have finally gotten over her past and is now moving on. In Woodsboro she reunites with her friends Sheriff Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) who are now married. Gale is no longer a reporter as she has also become a fictional writer, and her Stab novels have turned to a successful movie franchise. Coincidently upon Sidney`s return to the small town, a murder has taken place and it seems Ghostface has returned. Jill (Emma Roberts) is Sidney`s estranged niece and one of her friends from high school was the victim, so she isn’t too thrilled her aunt is back in town. Jill spends most of her time with her best friend Kirby (Hayden Panettiere), and is now hiding from her ex boyfriend Trevor (Nico Tortorella) who recently cheated on her. Everyone at school is worried about the murder and fear they will be the next victim, realizing at the same time that anyone of them could be Ghostface. Robbie (Erik Knudson) and Charlie (Rory Culkin) are the film geeks who warn everyone that the rules in horror movies have changed and that anyone could be a victim. Sidney begins to receive threats from Ghostface and fears that Jill will be his next target so she gets Dewey to send a patrol to guard their house. Deputy Perkins (Anthony Anderson) and Deputy Hoss (Adam Brody) are in charge of surveillance, but with Ghostface around no one is really safe.

The highlight of the movie is actually the comedy because there are not really any good scares or deaths in this film. This self awareness that we are reminded about throughout the movie is what makes this film so entertaining because we know we don’t have to take it seriously. Even the opening scene with the cameos from Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell remind us that we shouldn’t think too hard about what is going on. The highlight of the Scream films have always been trying to figure out who the killer/s is/are; the final plot twist at the end is something that we have come to expect and in Scream 4 we aren`t disappointed although the surprise element is nothing compared to the original. The movie also stretches the ending a little too much for my taste, but I can`t say I had a terrible time with this movie. The actors were good in this film; we had a lot of fresh and young faces and they all did a decent job. Each of the young actors seemed to play an archetype from the original Scream film, so in a sense Jill was Sidney, Kirby was Tatum, Trevor was Billy, Charlie was Stu, and Robbie was Randy. That is what made this movie the closest one to the original as we could trace some parallelisms back to that one. I honestly didn’t think this was a great movie, but I had a fun time with it. I wish it would have lived up to my expectations and had the same effect on me that the first film had, but it really didn’t. By the end of the year it will probably be forgotten, but I still give it a passing grade for keeping me entertained nonetheless although the scares were missing.

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My Review: Valentine`s Day (5/10)

¨There you have it, folks. Young love. Full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality. ¨

This romantic comedy is exactly what Valentine`s Day is all about: commercialization. First of all you have Garry Marshall involved in the project, who has directed many hits such as Pretty Woman, Frankie and Jhonny, Beaches, The Princess Diaries, among many others. He gets the dream team of actors to get involved as well: Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Lautner, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, George Lopez, Hector Elizondo, and Shirley MacLaine. With all these names there is no reason why someone wouldn`t want to go see this film, we all at least like someone in this movie (if not all), it`s a cast of All-Stars; between them they have more than 15 Oscar nominations combined. There is one major problem however: the movie is a huge disapointment. The screenplay, written by Katherine Fugate, doesn`t seem to work and it gave me the sense of being in a crowded room because it introduces one character after another without allowing for any character development or attachment on the part of the viewer with any one of them. This movie tries really hard to be Love Actually, which was a very successful romantic British comedy that also had a star cast, but the difference was that Love Actually was actually a good movie and Valentine`s Day isn`t. I didn`t have problems with the performances as much as I did with the predictable stories and cliches. Out of the more than ten different stories that are told here only one really caught me off guard, and if you`ve seen this movie then you probably know which one I am talking about.

The stories all take place in Los Angeles on Valentine`s Day. Reed (Ashton Kutcher) is a florist who wakes up next to his girlfriend Morley (Jessica Alba) and proposes to her. She says yes, and he goes to work excited on the busiest day of the year for him. His bestfriend is Julia (Jennifer Garner) who is having an affair with Dr. Harrison (Patrick Dempsey), although she really doesn`t know he is married. One of Julia`s students from school, Edison (Bryce Robinson) claims to be in love, and he lives with his grandparents Edgar (Hector Elizondo) and Estelle (Shirley MacLaine) who have been married for years and have been faithful to each other all their lives, or at least that was what Edgar thought. Since Edgar and Estella are going out on a date, Grace (Emma Roberts) is going to babysit Edison. She is planning on having sex for the first time with her High School sweetheart Alex (Carter Jenkins). Willy (Taylor Lautner), the School jock, gives Alex some advice. He is dating Felicia (Taylor Swift) and they are interviewed by a reporter who is covering a story about the most romantic day of the year. Kelvin (Jamie Foxx) is the sports reporter who is covering the story, but abandons it to cover the story on Sean Jackson (Eric Dane), a veteran QB who is giving a press conference about his next career move. That is where Kelvin meets his PR agent, Kara (Jessica Biel). Jason (Topher Grace) also wakes up next to his girlfriend Liz (Anne Hathaway) who he has just begun dating. Two strangers travel on a plane back to LA together: Holden (Bradley Cooper) and Captain Hazeltine (Julia Roberts).

As you can see the movie just tries to juggle all these different stories in a very short time and there is no room for character development. The actors don`t have enough screen time to build their characters or work any chemistry between them. The movie also is a bit long for a romantic comedy and by the end you are left expecting much more from this all star cast. The film had the potential to be great and I don`t know how they managed to get all these actors into the film with such a mediocre script. No matter what I say about this film you are probably going to see it anyway because there is a good chance one of your favorite actors is in this movie. I just wished they could`ve done more with such a great cast. Taking your date to this movie might end up being a much more expensive gift then you should of wished for.

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